It's hard to sum up the picture we get of loyalty in King John, since loyalty here seems to be a pretty flimsy thing. It's hard to tell if these characters are just totally weak or if they're just, you know, highly selective when it comes to the time and place for loyalty.
Maybe Hubert sums it up best when he's representing the citizens of Angers: "Sure, we're loyal to the King of England; we just don't know who the King of England is right now." He's got a point: when loyalty is strong in this play, it often leads to horrible things, or almost leads to them. Take Hubert's loyalty to John, for example: it nearly leads him to blind and kill young Arthur.
Even though Hubert, on that occasion, ends up showing a higher loyalty to his friend Arthur (by breaking his loyalty to John), we get the impression that, on other occasions, his loyalty to John probably has actually led him to commit horrendous acts. (We don't hear anything about Peter of Pomfret being saved from Hubert's noose.)
Could Shakespeare be saying that loyalty isn't good on its own, but that you instead have to consider what or whom you're being loyal to, and why?
Questions About Loyalty
- Are there any times in the play when loyalty is a purely good quality?
- Who is the most loyal character in the play?
- What are the main factors that make someone loyal in King John?
- What are the main factors that make someone break his or her loyalty in King John?
Chew on This
In King John, people break their loyalty when keeping it would bring them great physical or emotional harm.
The most loyal character in the play turns out to be the Bastard; even when things look most desperate, he never stops fighting on King John's and England's behalf.